Occult
by Drake Stevenson
Summary: A story LOOSELY based off Golden Sun. Fifteen year old Evan goes out on a journey to erase magic and unite the world once again in a tale of action, romance, and adventure.
1. Chapter 1: The Future

Disclaimer/Legal Stuff: This fanfic is going to be loosely, and I mean loosely based off Golden Sun, although it takes place about two million years later. There are a little bit of Final Fantasy themes, but not much. I don't own Square Enix, Nintendo, or Camelot. This fanfic is rated "Teen 14", for _excessive_ explicit language, some suggestive themes, and violence. If you copy this story in any way, you will get slapped repeatedly by the Terms of Use that fanfic so graciously put up for us all to see.

Okay, time to cut the crap and get on to the story.

* * *

**Prologue**

_A plasma monitor, coated with dust, flickered in the dark solitude. It had a fine, thick aura around it._

_A thick aura of magic._

_The charred door creaked open. A solitary figure walked inside, glancing at the ruined furniture of the room.__ It was in shambles, just like the rest of the building. _

_T__he grim figure made it's way to the pale white screen, which rested on the floor, tilted at an oblique angle. A battered black gauntlet, signifying the figure's experience in battle, silently made it's way to the monitor. When it touched the screen, the antique fully came to life. A loading notice appeared._

_"Loading...56 percent."_

_Second after second passed by, the dull silence engulfing the area._

_"Loading...99 percent."_

_Finally, the screen prompted for a password. The shaded figure grunted, whispering something inaudible. A dim window popped up on the monitor. The craggy body plopped down on the dusty ground._

_"Load Complete." A warped computer assistant replied as it appeared on the screen. She was of a pale blue color with no eyes, nose, or mouth. The figure was a strange sight. "Input body for memory wipe," The assistant recited.  
_

_An eyebrow raised in the darkness. The black gauntlet reached out once again, then hesitated. The figure's eyebrows seemed to arch in doubt._

_ Then, more out of instinct than guts, the gauntlet jammed itself into the screen. The computer began to hum, roaring back to life. The white light was now lighting up the whole ransacked room. Wind seemed to gush out, revealing the shadow of a human being, a man. Sparks began to fly, and the ground began to shake. Shards of metal and stone began to fall from the isolated building. The shadowed man began to corrode into the computer, from his hand, to his head, to his body. _

_Metal planks were beginning to crash violently. _

_The human was nearly gone now, but not before giving his final words._

_"It is complete."_

_ And with that, the human vaporized._

* * *

**Chapter 1- The Future**

Mmm. Chicken.

I sat up in bed, smelling a spicy scent of the delicious meal that was waiting for me at the kitchen table. I stared at the stone walls of my dorm for a little bit, my legs stretched out, feeling a staleness of the air around me. The mirror across my bed displayed my dark brown hair, brown eyes, and naturally fragile body.

My name is Evan. Evan Wrigley. I'm fifteen years old. Those are pretty much the only things interesting about me.

Oh, and I also have a very loving caretaker.

_WHAP!_

"Gahk!" Crying out, I tumbled onto the stone cold floor. I felt my nose throbbing as I slowly stood up, ready to meet my doom.

"_Evan, come on! Let's go, let's go!_" My eyes met Mary, my caretaker, a nasty looking wooden stick in her hand. She was one of the oldest in the village, although she was roughly forty years old.

In case you were wondering, the average life span of a human in these days was twenty-nine years. The reason was obvious. There was almost no unity in the world. Wars have been going on for decades. That didn't seem to matter, though. Everyone got used to it after a while.

"Evan! Are you just going to stand there? You know what today is!"

I sighed. "Alright, Miss. I'm coming down."

Legs still wobbly, I watched Mary bustle back downstairs. I heard the crying out and fighting of my brothers and sisters. Well, sort of brothers and sisters. You see, all of us came from a different family. Caretakers usually took care of eight or more children.

I quickly descended the brick staircase, down to the breakfast table, where my other seven younger siblings were. I swiftly took the vacant spot in the midst of all the greedy munchkins, who were hastily gobbling up all the sweet green chicken right before my very eyes. I mumbled nonchalantly, helping myself to a dark green drumstick. As my tongue touched the spicy flavor, my eyes filled with joy. My thoughts veered to the time I asked my caretaker why chicken was green. Her reply was something like this:

"Evan, dear, don't worry about such things."

I remembered my reply: "But Miss Mary, I want to know!"

She had sighed at this. "Okay. You see, Evan, back then, there were animals that were called chickens."

"Animals? What's that?"

She sighed again. "Animals were living things, just like us human begins. Anyways, roughly a hundred years ago, chickens went extinct. The thing you're eating is actually an emulation-"

"Miss Mary, what's an imulayffun?"

"An emulation is like a fake thing, as close to the real thing as it can get..."

I swallowed the chicken meat, remembering how I had asked my caretaker about other animals. Since then, History had been my favorite subject in school. For instance, back then, there was something called the "United States of America", and "Great Britain"-

"Evan! You're going to be late! If you miss the graduation exams, I'm going to kick you out of this house!" Mary roared. I flinched, grabbing my bag which hung from the chair, and opened the door.

You see, I'm a senior in high school, and today was graduation exams. If I failed, then my future would be ruined-

_SLOPP. Shhhh..._

I nearly lurched as mud surrounded my water-proof boots. Geez, I shouldn't have stepped outside so quickly. The water and earth adepts had been at it again. Sheesh. Sometimes I wished the wind adepts would carry the muck off somewhere else.

Our village, Vale, was an urban area surrounded by brick buildings and desolate streets. Barely any cars existed, so the roads were usually empty.

I shook my head at the muddy mess, continuing down the block. I glanced up. The sun had already broken over the horizon. Crud. That meant I was going to be late for college, and I didn't want to flunk and stay in school until I was 16. No, I was going to finish this year for good-

"Oh, hey, look! It's that 4th class History nerd from Vale University!" I swiftly looked up, a bulky looking guy with hair nearly down to his shoulders, along with a navy blue hoodie and a pair of shorts. Gee, didn't he know that long hair was only popular up until year 2024? Oh, wait, I forgot. He doesn't give a damn about history. Still, I tensed up. This guy has been looking out for me recently. I moved forward in the muck, trying my best to ignore him, my heart rate steadily increasing...

"Hey! Don't think you can just waltz on by, kid!" I glanced at his insulted face at the corner of my eye. Gee, I didn't know it was that easy to avoid-

_Chuk-Chik._

I froze. Literally. As in, my heart stopped beating. The cold steel prodding against my forehead was enough to convince me that he wasn't just a punk. The guy held his gun back, allowing my to slowly unshoulder my bag. "H-hey, what do you need? I have notes...they're for the exam..." Tears began to well up in my eyes as I faced him. I didn't want to die, at least not now...

"Any answer sheets for people in second year college?"

"Uh...s-sorry, I'm graduating this year."

Silence.

"Hawhawhawwhawww! All this time, and you finally tell me you're a senior?" The big guy guffawed.

"Well, you never asked-" I quickly shut my yap as my eyes met the ominous pistol, roughly two inches away from my forehead. _Gulp. _

The gunman snorted. "Well then, 4th class, I'll make sure you don't graduate. _Ever._"

_Pow._

I nearly jumped, waiting for the lovely embrace of death. Fortunately, I didn't feel anything. I looked at the bully, just as startled as I was. He quickly pulled back the flint-lock hammer, and fired a second time.

_Pow. _I blinked, then watched in awe as the bullet seemed to _clink_ against a barrier in between Mr. Big Guy and I. There was a nearly invisible crack in between me and Mr. Big Guy. My mind immediately snapped. _It's Janie._

The bully looked frustrated now. He looked at me feverishly. "Wait, so you aren't a 4th class?" He quickly sucked up, and tried to blow another hole in my brain.

_Pow. Pow. POW._

I shakily grinned. "Uh, you see-"

"Hey, you. Guy in the navy blue hoodie." I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Her voice was always distinguishable.

The guy looked past me, his eyes widening. I turned around, relieved to see the female figure. Jane Junior, otherwise known as Janie. Her normally calm shoulder-length brown hair was floating. That usually happened when she was angry. She had turquoise eyes, which was common for a water adept. She was a couple inches shorter than me, which was actually above average height for a water adept. She had her Holy Guard uniform on, which was a white sleeveless one-piece suit. She was real pretty, and-

"Hey Evan, quit staring." Janie grinned as I quickly regained my composure, embarrassed.

"Oh, er, haha. Nothing, nothing," I glanced back at the punk, who was looking at me like I wasn't supposed to be alive. Well, actually, I wasn't.

Janie beckoned to me. "Come on, let's hurry to school. We're going to be late for the final exams." My face lit up as I squished my way over to her in the mud. The clear ice wall behind me broke, as Mr. Big Guy stood there, still befuddled.

After getting out of the muddy area and back onto the streets, Janie seemed to loosen up. "God, Evan, how many times do I have to save your damn butt?"

I disregarded the funny combination of words. "Well, it's only been twelve times this semester..."

"Twelve times!" Janie quickly cracked her knuckles. "Okay, that's it. You're helping me pass finals for graduation. You know what my weakest subject is," She vented.

I gave a grunt. "History? Why did you choose to major in it, anyways?"

Janie gave a playful shove, which nearly sent me back into the muddy oblivion. "You know why."

"Hah, no, I really don't. Is it because of that guy in our class that you keep staring at?" I gave her a sly look.

"No, no! The only guy I stare at is the professor, and he's ugly, even if he is a 2nd class adept!" She quickly stopped herself. "Oh, sorry."

"Oh, it's okay. I'm used to being called 4th class anyways," I uttered, lowering my head.

4th class was the lowest class of adepts. In fact, if you were 4th class, you weren't even considered an adept. 1st class was the highest.

"But really," Janie mumbled, looking down. "You know I don't want to fail History. It's my favorite subject, too."

I glanced at Janie, who was still sullen. See, Janie was a friend of mine. She was probably my closest, considering that most of my friends didn't attend history class. We had met a couple years back, when she was close to flunking all her exams.

The reason why I became great friends with her was that we both enjoyed history books. Many times over the weekend, we would read random books on strange historical food, like "Hamburgers", or "Chocolate Fudge Sundaes." We had many good memories through College together.

The main problem with Janie was her grades. So, I helped her, and in return, she protected me from the rather hostile people in Vale, the Earth Village we lived in.

"Well, how about we take the time to review for finals?" She replied, trying to keep me from getting all depressed. It didn't work, but I figured both of us needed to prepare, anyways.

"Okay, down to business." I declared, slowing down my pace. "So, in the beginning, there was..."

"Man?"

"Well, yeah. At least that's what we need to know. So, after a surge of productivity in the 1900s, what happened to man?"

"They invented nuclear arms."

"Right! And what eventually happened in the late 2050s?"

"Umm...didn't some countries called Japan and United States undergo some kind of nuclear exploit...?" Janie mumbled, crossing her arms.

"Well, it was Japan, United States, and the European Union that fired the nuclear weapons. So. Who were they against?"

"Everyone else."

"And who won?"

"No one."

I nodded, glad that Janie at least knew that bit of information. "Good. Okay, so after nearly the whole human race was eradicated, what were the scientists of the United Nations able to do?"

"Well...they were able to, um, manipulate cells into DNA, right?"

"Yeah. They were able to mutate a human body's DNA so that it could manipulate nature. In other words, humans were able to spontaneously produce Fire, Earth, Light, Wind and Water."

"Heh, spontaneously. Don't use big words on me, Evan."

"Okay, okay. Basically, I'm saying that humans could create fire, water, wind, and earth out of nowhere." I paused, waiting for the information to digest. "People who can wield this 'magic' are called adepts."

"Adepts. Oh, I know that, at least." Janie flashed a smile. I grinned, continuing my lecture.

"Anyways, the scientists claimed it would save our population, but it only thinned our numbers out. Nowadays, with so few people, and even less unity, not even the most populated villages can create a city."

Janie nodded understandingly. "Like those damn earth adepts that keep trying to make this place a mountain."

"Yeah. So all of this adds up to today. The human race is already endangered, and the only way to save ourselves would be to reverse the humans power over this, 'magic'. If humans weren't able to wield powers of fire, earth, water, and wind, then we would be less segregated and could live in peace-"

"Mister geek, you're getting carried away again. Don't say that in front of anyone. You know what the Council will do if people say such things," Janie mused.

"Yeah," I muttered glumly. "They send revolutionists to prison for life."

The Council was an organization that patrolled the region, monitoring villagers so that no one would spark a rebellion against magic.

Minutes of silence passed by as we quickly walked the not-so-crowded streets of Vale. As the university loomed closer in the distance, some sort of tremor broke out.

_Boooooggg. _

Janie and I quickly glanced at each other. The ground beneath us was shaking. We began to quicken our pace. Tremors happened regularly. That was usually the sign of a raging earth adept, but you could never be sure.

_BOOGGGGGGG._

I stumbled, quickly trying to regain my balance as both of us dashed for the school. I frantically looked at Janie, who had her determined eyes set for the front doors of the campus. Ever since the earth adepts of the village had been competing for food with the water adepts, she had never been so aggravated against them.

Forgetting the finals completely, I dashed at high speed, passing Janie. Running was my only physical strength, and I could surpass any adept in a race.

We blazed up the stairs two at a time. I swiftly glanced back, watching Janie begin to glow a mysterious blue color, warming the magic in her body up. We finally reached the top stair. I yanked open the door and rushed into the large lobby of the university, followed by a battle-ready Janie.

The once determined voice behind me gasped. "Oh, Shit." was all I heard. But I was too busy staring up, as the crumbling building came shattering down, the ceiling ready to engulf the two of us in seconds.

The scent of breakfast was still in my nose. God, I wish I had some chicken right now.

* * *

Author's Note: Yay. Chapter one finished. As most introduction chapters, I have to introduce the initial characters, setting, and blah blah blah. Since the "world" I'm creating is more systematic than common sense, there's going to be a lot of explanations on how magic works, etc. for the next few chapters. Anywho, comments and criticism are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

A lot of my friends on other sites (you know who you are) might realize I'm using a similar concept on this story that I've used in a lot of my previous fics (not the corny character names, mind you).

-Zz


	2. Chapter 2: Expelled

Author's Note: Well, I'm uploading chapter 1 and 2 together, it seems. After this, it might be a while until I make chapter 3. Still not much action. Not yet. Eh, anyways, on to the story.

* * *

**Chapter 2- Expelled**

We were in a hub room, the big circular room that connected all the hallways. The whole place was made of stone, just like all the other buildings.

And guess what?

All of it was about to come crashing down on me.

"Those damn earth adepts..." I heard Janie mutter as a blueish aura enveloped both of us. A slab of rock hit the barrier from above, with a _craaack_. I tried to act calm, knowing Janie would know what to do.

"Evan, what should we do?" I turned to find an exasperated 1st class water adept looking at me with pleading eyes.

"Great, so now I'm the one who does all the thinking?" I roared.

"Do you want me to release this barrier?"

I quickly bit back my words, my mind pondering. We couldn't let the whole university just collapse. Someone had to stop it, and only a 1st class adept could do something so miraculous...

Suddenly, an idea began to formulate. Before I thought about the consequences, I blurted out, "Janie, you know how to freeze things in place, right?"

The fifteen year old colleague of mine rolled her eyes. "So now you're being sarcastic?" After a few seconds of looking at me ridiculously, her eyes seemed to light up. "You really think I can freeze this whole room?"

"Let's see. You're a water adept, and you know the forbidden form of water magic-"

"Shut up!" Janie yelled hotly. "Don't ever talk about that-"

_KAHBHOOM. _We both flinched, and the turquoise eyed girl nodded. This wasn't a time to talk about her magic. With haste, Janie placed her arms on the stone cold floor, her hands glowing an eerie white. _Crink-crink-crink. Craaaaaaaack. _The stone began to freeze a deep ice blue color, all around the barrier. The ice began to spread outward, covering tile upon tile of cement. I gritted my teeth as I saw beads of sweat from Janie's forehead. She looked like she was struggling with something. It was probably the forbidden magic-

I paused, looking around. There was no more noise. My eyes swiftly searched the area. The whole room was now ice-blue. She had frozen it all. I grinned, stretching out my arms. "Hah, see? I knew you could do it-"

_Shlump._

Janie was on the icy floor now. She looked exhausted, but she managed to stand up. Her eyes met mine, and she gave a worn out smile. The barrier around us faded.

_Creeeak- _I looked past Janie, and watched as our professor gaped at the sight. "W-Who did this? Ice magic?" The professor gasped, then pointed an accusingly finger at us. Janie turned around, shocked that the professor would come at a time like this. "Janie! You should know better, being a 1st class magician! Did you use ice magic to freeze the lobby?"

Janie looked back at me, worry in her eyes. I shrugged, then looked down. There was no point in trying to defend her. She was the only adept in the village who could control ice. Still, a question bugged me- "Professor?" I mumbled.

"Yes, Evan?" The way he said my name sounded like he said it with contempt.

"Aren't you supposed to be watching over the students while they're taking their exams?"

Now the professor was the one that looked stunned. Janie smiled sheepishly at me, knowing it was just an attempt to stall time. Still, all of this seemed fishy. A tremor breaking out? And a professor off duty?

"T-that's none of your business!" The professor stuttered. He walked closer over to us, a furious look in his eyes, when-

_Slip._

In seconds, the professor's buttocks were on the icy ground, and I knew we were in _much_ deeper trouble.

* * *

"EVAN! TAKE THE TRASH OUT!"

"I WILL, MISS!"

I continued to lay down on my bed, staring at the ceiling. The principal had let me go early, but held Janie for a little longer. That obviously meant more punishment. But what could be worse than being expelled from school? The principal was thinking of a smaller penalty, but figuring I wasn't about to waste another year in college, he kicked me from the school. Do you know what that means? That means no future for me, especially since I'm 4th class.

You see, humans are ranked into four classes. About 90 percent of humans are third class, meaning they possess some magical powers. Second classers have much stronger magic powers, and can even perform really nifty tricks with their magic. First classers are the rarest, usually about one in a thousand; these adepts were like second classers, except they could also possess something called forbidden magic.

Why is it called forbidden magic? Well, because it's forbidden, obviously. It's basically an "upgraded" form of magic. The forbidden water magic would be ice, the forbidden wind magic would be lightning, earth magic would be steel, and fire magic would be magma. The forbidden light magic was dark magic, as ironic as it seems.

The final class was fourth class. Fourth class humans couldn't use any magic at all. Only about one in a hundred people are fourth classers, and most were looked down upon by all. What's even worse, is that magic was hereditary. You didn't just learn magic. You got it from your mom and dad. Most moms and dads nowadays left their kids behind for caretakers to take care of them, mainly because of all the battles going on. You couldn't take care of a baby in the middle of a war. And that's why usually the only way a 4th classer survived was if they got a job was a medic, an engineer, or a-

"EVAN! I SAID, TAKE THE FRIGGING TRASH OUT!" I sighed, figuring I would visit Janie once I did my chores. But still, what could be worse than being expelled?

* * *

"Guard duty? Are you serious?" I was in front of Janie's household. She looked pretty sullen, and it was pretty obvious why.

"Yep. Guard duty. More importantly, it's all day, all week, for one month." I gawked. Even I couldn't survive that. See, Vale was the village of Earth. Though our village was small, especially with mountains surrounding our gates, the Earth Tower was right next door. It was the law of the Council that all towers must be protected. It someone were to steal the elemental ring in each of the five towers, that person, with the right technology, could destroy the cells that were able to manipulate earth, fire, water, light, and wind. In other words, magic would be gone. Of course, no magic would mean unity, but of course, the law is the law.

"Evan, are you there?" Janie's hand waved in front my face, and I snapped back into reality. She smiled at me, but she still looked worried. Before I could say anything, something hard gripped my shirt. I yelped, turning around to see a man with some kind of brown chest armor, with chain mail running down his arms. He an iron soldier helmet on. I immediately recognized him by his partly covered jet black hair.

"Grail, is that really you?" I replied, looking in wonderment at his armor. I noticed a long spear was slung across his back.

"Yeah, it's me. Long time no see, Evan! You too, Jane!" We all began to talk about what was happening recently. Janie had introduced me to Grail a year ago. She said that he was the only other 4th class person she knew besides me, so she got us all together. Grail wasn't that strong, but he was tough. He was eighteen, three years older than Janie and I. Now, judging by his appearance, it looked like he finally became an official guard of the tower.

"...and that's why I'm meeting you, Jane. I'll be switching shifts with you for the next month." Grail gave a happy thumbs up, while Janie nodded. I glanced at the new guard's spear with a touch of envy. Grail had been my role model ever since I had met him. He was a nice guy, even for a 4th class. I wouldn't be surprised if he started dating Janie. He was everything a 4th class person wanted to be.

"Hey, Evan?" Grail was looking at me. "I've learned a lot of battling skills since the last time we've met. Are you interested in a training session?"

I felt a smile crease on my lips. "Uh, sure!" I sputtered. "I mean, even though I just got expelled the other day, I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Hah!" Grail chuckled, patting me on the shoulder. "I remember that time we raced and you beat me by a mile. You're a quick guy. I'm sure the trainers over at the academy I train at will be more than willing to teach you!"

I glanced at Janie, who gave an approving nod. My mind was racing. What if I became a hero? A hero that would unite the world once again? Just the thought of it-

_"Grail!" _My thoughts were interrupted as a gasping man in full Holy Guard armor rushed up. Holy Guard attire, whether it be armor or just a sleeveless shirt like Janie, was only worn by 1st class and 2nd classers, to show that they were superior than the rest. The exasperated guy who had rushed up was immediately recognizable, with his red hair and piercing red eyes. It was Prince Drake. "_Grail!_ We need you!" My eyes widened- Drake wasn't normally like this. Drake was a calm and collected guy. He was a 2nd classer, and his ancestor used to rule over the whole Earth Territory. Drake was a Fire Adept, inherited on his mom's side. He grew up as a prince, and now, at 24, he was a full fledged knight.

Drake jabbed a finger at Janie and I. "You, and you. Do you have any combat experience?" Before we could answer, the prince cut us off. "Follow me, we have a crisis."

"A crisis? What kind of crisis?" Janie questioned.

"A big one." Drake paused for emphasis before beckoning the three of us. "Hurry, we don't have much time." He began to run, with Grail hastily following. Janie looked at me, bewildered.

"Should we follow them?" She asked, gazing at me with her clouded green eyes. Just then, I felt a huge decision upon my shoulders. I had a gut feeling this would determine what would happen with my life.

_Gulp._

I put a hand to my forehead, contemplating whether I should go or not. As I was thinking, Janie muttered, "If I go, will you come with me?" My head jerked up. Janie looked scared. So was I.

In seconds, we were running down the muddy, stony streets.

* * *

Author's Note: Woo. One more chapter over with. I think I'll finally place this up, though this still seems less and less like a fanfic. Oh, well. Whatever. I'm still curious as to how this'll turn out.

-Zz


	3. Chapter 3: The Earth Tower Part 1

Author's Note: Oh, I forgot. There's a "Submit Review" button in the bottom left corner of this page. It wouldn't hurt to click it and give me your opinion on the story. Ah, anyways, on with chapter three. Grab a bag of popcorn or three, don't read too fast, and enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 3- The Earth Tower (Part 1)  
**

_Swishwishwishwishwish..._

"...Evan...? Slow down a bit...!"_  
_

_Swishwishwish..._

My mind snapped, as I sloshed down to a near stop. I stared back at Janie, who was desperately trying to catch up, her white Holy Guard boots caked with mud. I looked ahead into the evening sky. Drake and Grail were still at it, nearing the city gates. I sighed, wondering if we would ever catch up to the odd pair...

_ShhhLAP._

Colors blazed into my eyes as I staggered forward, pain erupting in the back of my head. I groaned, collapsing into-

_Shloop._

Mud. Dirty, contaminated, sticky, salty, mud. My nearly unconscious body tried to savor the moment of pain, but was interrupted by a jerk at my collar. My head was yanked from the brown goop and above the surface, then violently shaken around by none than the likes of-

"EVAN! When I say to slow down, slow down! Do you know how exhausted I am?"

I made a lame attempt to wipe my muddied face. The mud on my hand only made it worse. "...if you were exhausted, you wouldn't have-"

"Shut up and let's go!" Before I could talk some sense into how she was the one who wanted _me _to slow down, I was dragged along, my feet skidding over the mud in the process.

"Jan-" I was cut off as a clump of mud shut me up. Gee, that one was extra salty. After spitting out, I tried to reason with the bipolar water adept. "Janie! Slow down!" Mud was still skidding left and right, and I had to close my eyes so that no more dirt could get in them. My neck hurt from being pulled. I clenched my teeth-

And finally, a stop. I opened my eyes as Janie loosened her grip on me, panting. We were at the city gates. I tried to grin at Janie, who was still trying to recover from her sprint. "Heh, record time," I joked.

She gave me a venomous look. "We're supposed to stay _together._ Why did you run so fast?"

I tried to look nonchalant, though I really knew why I ran faster. It was the only thing I was good at, so why not put it to use? I tried to shrug off the awkward moment.

The two of us began to briskly walk in silence. Luckily, there was no mud around the city gates. The tower was now looming ahead of us, with a long dirt path running in between two large hills. The pathway was constructed to lead to the Tower. We continued to walk silently, maneuvering along the bumpy pass. I glanced around, looking at all the high hills around me. This was the second time I've been in the tower premises, the first being a field trip when I was young.

"Evan, they're waiting for us." Janie nudged my arm and pointed in the distance. The dirt path was in a straight line now. Drake and Grail were there, standing impatiently. Two other sentries were guarding the doors to the tower.

Janie and I jogged over to them. The fully armored prince began to speak. "Someone's trying to steal the ring of Earth," he explained. "And I think we all know how badly that can corrupt our world." He looked back and forth between Janie and I. "There's an infamous bandit by the named Gladus. His intentions-"

"-are to steal each of the five rings in each tower, and use the Renegade's unknown technology to revert the world back to it's original form," I finished.

Grail was now the one to speak. "Yes. It seems that he has gotten two other people to join his facade in taking the Earth Ring from his rightful temple." Grail nodded towards Janie and I. "You guys will have to help out."

Janie gave me a worried look. I couldn't tell if she was just worried at how muddy I was, or if she was worried if I would even survive, given I had almost no combat experience. It looked like she was about to tell Drake, but he had already opened up the creaky double doors to the tower.

"Come on, you three. We've got some bandit busting to do," Drake replied casually, lowering the visor of his helmet. "Guards, I don't want anyone going in or out of this tower. Roger?"

"Roger!" Both sentries replied in unison.

And with that, the four of us entered the legendary Earth Tower. Both Janie and I have never actually been inside the tower. I was just as surprised as she was when we entered, the doors slamming shut behind us. It was a dimly lit place. There seemed to be tree roots at our feet, along with compressed soil. The temperature was very cool and still; so was the earth magic that seemed to radiate from the tower's very walls.

"Flare." A bright light kindled from the palm of the 2nd class prince. The flame grew brighter and brighter. Drake seemed to be searching for something. Grail had his spear unslung and ready, looking around as well.

"Evan, we should help, too," I heard Janie whisper.

"Help with what?" I whispered back.

"You know, looking for the bandits!"

"But..." I could tell that Janie knew what I was doubtful of. Her eyes seemed to cloud over, as well.

You see, ever since I became interested in History, I realized one main thing: Magic was preventing the world from becoming united. Gladus was one of the renegades who were trying to rid the world of Magic. So I was basically going to help hunt down a bandit whose goals I completely agreed with. Guess I was caught in the middle.

"What do you think we should do...?" I asked.

Before Janie could respond, I heard Drake grunt, "Well, he isn't in the main room. Guess we have to go higher into the tower."

_Shhing. _I saw Drake take out his short sword. It was fit for a king, which explained how it had the royal emblem of fire on it. When special weapons like those had the royal emblem of an element-

"Flare!"

The sword flashed once, blinding us all. I cringed, waiting for the light to slowly subside. The blade in the Prince's hand was now glowing red. He turned to us. "Unsheath your weapons. I have a feeling they're high up in the tower."

I quickly tried to make something up, knowing I had no weapon of my own. "Uh, Drake? I remember learning that the ring of the Earth Tower was actually below ground level-"

The cold, metal finger of Drake pressed against my mouth. "Shush. That information must not be disclosed to the people outside of Vale." I slowly nodded, as Drake beckoned us all to follow him. His sword in one hand and burning flame in the other, he started at a stone step that was wedged into the tower wall. Grail followed, two steps behind, his spear at the ready. I turned to Janie. She was examining the center of the tower. I couldn't really tell exactly what she was looking at, but it seemed like a black hole.

"Janie, come on!" I murmured.

"Evan, look. Is this what you're talking about?" She was pointing to the black hole. I glanced back at Drake and Grail uneasily.

"Janie, there's no time. We need to go!"

The 1st class water adept looked like she was deep in thought, then turned and brushed past me. "Okay, okay."

I let out a breath of relief, letting Janie ascend first. It seemed pretty safe that I was the last one going up the steps. As my boots touched the secure looking piece of stone, I suddenly realized how important the situation was. If I were to die...

I gulped, trying to reassure myself with my natural talent for running away.

The four of us were continuing along the spiral staircase. I could distinguish Drake, who was ahead a good ten steps away, his bright orange sword flashing brilliantly. Gee, sometimes I wish I could battle with a sword...

"Stop." We all froze at Grail's voice. Drake looked over at the guard questioningly. He gestured with his head to the smaller set of double doors, only a few steps away from Drake. "Those doors to the summit of the tower don't look sealed, and it looks like someone barged in, not the other way around," he muttered. "There's someone in here-_OoMF!"_

A glint of steel flashed in the air, as I saw the soldier helmet of Grail's knocked off, hurling my way. "Whoa-"

_Clannggggg. _I visibly flinched, glad the hunk of metal didn't hit me. _Ching. Phing. _I tried to steady myself, but adrenaline was running wild through my veins already. Janie's hand was clutching my shoulder. She was saying something barely decipherable- "Evan! Go down! Go down!" I blindly complied, my eyes opened but my vision blurred. A sudden fear of slipping and falling off the no-rail stairs filled me as I dashed down the other way, afraid to look back. Then, Janie's hand was replaced by a stiffer one.

_Fzzzzzzht. _A blurred image appeared in front of me. "_Where's the ring!" _was all I heard. My eyes were shut, too scared to view whatever figure-

Suddenly, the firm hand grabbed my neck and thrust me backward. _Bhooom. _My back erupted into excruciating pain-

_"WHERE-" _The hand shook my disoriented neck once-

_"IS-" _

_Shake._

_"THE DAMN-"_

_Shake._

_"RING!" _

Then, no shake.

I quickly opened my eyes, feeling around my swollen neck. No hand. Where did he-

_"Hahh!" Sclinnnng._ The armored body of Grail stood in front of me, his spear waving wildly in the air at the other figure. I could barely make out the blood on the 4th classer's armor. Where was Janie? What happened to Drake? Who was that-

"Evan! Run down there! They've got Janie!" I responded quickly to Grail's orders, sprinting down the stone staircase. Gee, my back hurt. I was sweating all over, too. Oh well, at least it kept the mud from getting crusty. There was no time to complain, though. We were being ambushed, and Janie was in trouble.

"Janie!" I hollered, my feet landing on the soft earth that marked the first floor of the earth tower. I panicked at the sudden silence, looking up at the battle. I saw the familiar glint of the sword that knocked off Grail's helmet- the silhouetted warrior was literally dashing from wall to wall of the tower, slashing at the spearman on the other side. I winced as Grail let out a horrid yell; I thought I saw blood falling from the sky.

What was happening?

I looked around the dim floor of the tower. I couldn't see a thing, let alone hear anything except the clashes of steel above. "Janie!" I called out, cupping my hands to my shaking mouth. "_Janie!"_

It was no use. I helplessly looked up at the battle scene- things didn't look good. I couldn't see Grail anymore. The swift ambusher who was wall-jumping just a second earlier was now falling- no, floating, down to the first floor- where I was. It finally hit me. The reason why he was so quick and nimble was because he was a wind adept. That explained why he was floating.

I slowly crouched down, my heart beating rapidly. I hoped he didn't see me, but that was almost impossible, since wind adepts were given the ability of keen sight. My heart began to thump faster and faster. He was floating down, coming closer and closer, almost like the grim reaper showing me to my rightful place...

Then, a flash from above. A spark of life jolted in my heart- it was Drake! He was still pretty high up on the spiral staircase, but he was performing a move- the one he was most famous for. I almost wanted to shout it out as he hollered it loud and clear-

_"Power Drive!"_

In that split second, I realized I was in danger. You see, everyone around Vale knew about Prince Drake and his specialty moves. You didn't want to get in the way if he was using one.

I gazed up as the roaring knight slammed his sword onto a stone stair- fire erupted from the fixture, quickly "driving" it's way down the stairs. The domino effect was more flashy than anything I'd ever seen. The whole stone staircase was soon ablaze, with the flow of fire magic running freely.

"Grah, damn it!" I heard the shrewd voice of the wind adept as he landed roughly five feet away from me. He was in full view now, due to the fire spreading quickly through the tower.

And boy, was he a sight.

He was holding a longsword- all black, except for the gold hilt. There was electricity flowing from it's tip. Those little blue static sparks meant one thing- he was a legendary 1st class wind adept. No wait, let me rephrase that- He was _the _legendary 1st class wind adept. Gladus. And he was standing in front of me. He had dark purple hair, and was more easily distinguished by his black suit and yellow eyes. There were so many scars on his face, I could almost feel them myself.

Fire began to encircle the two of us. He seemed to be staring at me in a strange way. Before I could say anything, his steady hand gripped my arm.

"Mind Read."

Just then, I felt something protrude my mind. Before I could stop him, I felt all my my secrets exposed to the stoic adept. Every girl I liked, the magazine I hid under my bed, everything. After some time, he jerked away. His eyes showed a sign of surprise. I hoped it wasn't the kind of magazines I had.

Still, the fact that he hasn't cut me to pieces yet allowed me cling on to my last string of hope. Maybe he realized I was sort of on his side...

"Midway City. 4432, fifth street. Take your time. You'll need it." I took in all the information as he tossed me a strange looking-

_Bonk._

It was all black and fuzzy. I felt the presence of a leather sheath on top of my bruised face. A strange peace filled inside me- at least I wasn't dead...

I gradually began to give away, feeling the intensity of the heat surround me.

* * *

Author's Note: o.O; Whew, one more chapter down. Can't wait until my writer's block kicks in. Well, I'd like some reviews, so be sure to comment by hitting that "submit review" button in the bottom left corner!

-Zz


	4. Chapter 4: The Earth Tower Part 2

Author's Note: Not much to say. Just be sure to review this chapter whenever you can. I'll be advertising this fanfic more openly after chapter 5 releases, but until then, be sure to at least comment on my story. I'd really appreciate it. Please note that this chapter many have many errors due to no revision. I'm sort of in a rush today.

Anyways, on to the story.

* * *

**Chapter 4- The Earth Tower (Part 2)**

_Evan._

_Evan, you dumbass._

My eyes opened. Well, at least I think they did. I couldn't really tell, because everything was white.

_Evan, you have to wake up now._

My pseudo-eyes adverted around, looking for the source of the resounding voice. Realizing this was too clear to be a dream, I attempted to squeak out something audible: "Who are you?"

There was a silence in the white atmosphere. The presence I felt was immense. It seemed to be staring at me._  
_

_I am Judgment, Ruler of Steel, __the forbidden magic of earth, _the voice echoed. _Gladus has willingly given me to you._

"Gladus? Me? To you?" I was dumbfounded, still trying to take in what the voice had just said. I remembered the tales of the ancient people, who used to practice alchemy. A select few were able to summon the Ruler of Steel, Judgment. And he was now under my command.

Sweet.

_EVAN! Wake up! If you die, I'm going to hell with you! Now pick me up and escape this damned place! _

In that second, a euphoric rush filled me, with small colors bursting around the corners of my eyes. The whiteness faded, and was replaced with darkness...

...and heat.

I struggled to get up, my head throbbing, feeling the mud still crusted on my clothes. I looked around at the scorching heat surrounding me. "Help!" I roared, panic already rising in my heart. Just then, I remembered the awkward thing Judgement had said to me before I left his realm. _Now pick me up..._ I stared at the leather sheath that Gladus had nearly killed me with. I tried to lift it.

I tried.

It was huge. I collapsed, panting. While I was on the ground, I realized the sheath was bigger than me. It was colossal. I glanced around helplessly.

_Are you saying Gladus entrusted me to a puny little kid like you? _I heard the voice in my head chide. Well, at least I thought it was in my head. I tried to hide the thought that I was a 4th classer, but it seemed like the voice already knew everything about me.

_A fourth classer? And a weak one at that? What the hell? You just got expelled from a university for being an accomplice in freezing the whole building? _I didn't say a single word, knowing it would be pointless. Instead, beads of sweat dripped down my nose as the fire started to close around me. Should I just jump for it...?

_No, don't. Haven't you forgotten? _Judgment teased. _Prince Drake's flames give you 1st degree burns. I'd prefer to be owned by a weak chump rather than a roasted chump. _I ignored him, looking around and trying to somehow communicate with Judgment.

_Can you please just help me right now? I'm about to die. Don't you want to help? _I pleaded.

_Oh, so now my jokes aren't funny, eh? _Judgment seemed to chuckle. _Okay then, I'll make some adjustments. Just don't get in the way.  
_

_But..._

_No buts. I'm the ruler of steel, remember?_

I blinked, trying to get the sardonic voice out of my head. I incidentally turned towards the leather sheath, and gawked. The humongous object began to toss and turn as if it was alive. It looked like it was going to erupt.

Then, it gave away.

_FWOOOOOOOOSH._

Light and wind exploded everywhere as I tried to shield my eyes. It was brighter than the 2nd class Light professor's magic when he decided to punish us by blinding us.

The wind was so fervent, I was eventually tumbling on the ground, prone. "Gahk!" I stuttered, my hands gripping whatever I could. Luckily, there was a tree root. I held on for my dear life, for fear of getting pummeled into the tower's walls.

Then, the winds began to subside into a _fssshh_.

_Ching. Cling. _The sounds of grinding steel was in my ears. I hazily stood up, taking care not to injure my back any further. I looked around. The whole interior of the tower was ruined. The spiral staircase was now nonexistent, thanks to Drake's ridiculously strong attack. The ground all around me was burnt, including the dry root I had clung on to.

_Ah, shit. I accidentally blew up the sheath._

_Hey, can you stop with the language?_ I retorted in my head.

Judgment ignored me. _Come, Evan. Pick me up. It looks like your friend is in trouble. _My mind snapped back into play mode, and I quickly ran over to where the sheath was. The flames were all put out, thanks to the wind. In the dim light where the sheath used to be, I saw something magnificent. Truly magnificent. It was a sword, significantly shorter than the one I thought it would be. It was jet black from the point of the blade to the tip of the guard. There were trimmings on the blade; it was silver, and made colorful rays in the dim light. The cross-guard and grip were jet black as well, though not as shiny. The pommel was silver, but it looked awkward for a pommel. It was a flat looking contraption, with two buttons on it's side. Come to think of it, the grip looked odd and mechanical, too. Overall, it looked like a futuristic weapon, but it was far from unoriginal. Did I mention it was magnificent?

_I look sexy, don't I?_

My head jerked back as I tried to stifle a laugh. "Yeah, right!" I countered out loud. Then, on a more serious note, I replied, "But you _do _look awesome. How did you change your size like that, anyways?"

_Ching._

There was no need for mental communication. In seconds, I gripped hilt, trying to evenly balance the medium-weight sword as I ran over to the source of the metal sounds. It didn't take me long to realize the noises were from below, where the ring was. More out of impulse than instinct, I fearlessly sprinted over to the large marred area on the floor. What I didn't know was that I was about to make a decision that would affect my whole life. Wait, haven't I said that before?

I inched over to the tip of the edge. It was dark below, but there were things glittering everywhere. The drop was only about five feet, and I cleared it in a big _huff. _Staggering slightly, I examined the room. I was in the corner of what looked like a triangle shaped arena. And guess what was in the middle?

A huge hunk of ice.

I looked at all the glittering stuff in the dim room. It was ice. Must be Janie's-

_CHING. _

My eyes averted to the hunk of ice in the middle of the dark room. There were shadows silently fighting in this area. I saw sparks fly as another _CLANG _resounded in the air. The silence was very uncomfortable, as if phantoms were attacking each other.

Still, I managed to observe the situation. Apparently, both sides were too concentrated on the battle to notice me. I saw a shiny body of steel and another body with a white uniform on, both adjacent to the block of ice. It looked like Janie and Drake were guarding the ice cube. Drake's sword wasn't ablaze as it usually was. His mana was probably exhausted by now, especially after doing that special move. I could almost see the sweat on both of their faces. I also saw a bulky figure with them, a large looking pole in his hand. Grail.

I felt blood come from my lip as I bit it hard. What was I supposed to do in the midst of this silent skirmish? Should I help Drake and the others, with the new sword I didn't even know how to use? Or should I help the bandits, whose goals ultimately matched mine?

_Heh, looks like you have a fateful issue on your hands. _Judgment chided again. _I won't mind who you help out, as long as you act before it's too late._

"But...who should I help...?" I slowly mouthed to myself. Suddenly, the firm grip of my sword faded. Surprised, I jerked my hand back, only to realize that a coin was in my hand. It had the insignia of a helmet on it, which was the sign of Judgment.

_Heads or tails?_

Still somewhat shaken at my conscience's sudden change of appearance, I let the coin loose without thinking.

_Heads. _I mumbled in my mind.

The coin made a dull _clink _as it landed deftly, heads up.

_Um, Evan? _Judgement replied.

_Yes? What is it?_

_You forgot to specify which side meant what._

_Huh?_

_Oh, never mind. Just go ahead and help out the bandits._

Still confused, I picked up the coin, as it silently pulsed in my hands, morphing back into the gleaming black sword.

_Evan, that block of ice your girlfriend set up is protecting something really powerful. It appears to be the Earth Ring. Maybe if you broke the shard of ice..._

My mind clicked, ignoring his remark of my hidden affinity for Janie. I responded deftly. _Ah! That'll give Gladus and his band of who-knows-how-many a chance to snag the ring!_

_Exactly. So, what are you waiting for? Leave all the cutting to me. Just make sure you don't miss the ice cube._

I was already dashing towards the blue glitter in the dim distance.

"Evan?" That was Janie's voice. I ignored her inquiry, placing a two-handed grip on the regal sword with my left hand.

"Evan..." Grail's voice. His hoarse voice carried through my ears as I raised my sword in the air, still running. Only three more steps. One, two...

_"Evan! No!" _I shut my eyes as the words of Drake reverberated through my ear canal. I swung down, feeling the sweet surge of a solid hit.

_PssshhhING._

I gasped, opening my eyes in surprise as the ice gave away. In that split second, I saw the ring, which seemed to leap out of the cleaved ice. It was silver plated, with a large diamond embedded on it. There were sparkling emeralds surrounding the indestructible gem.

Then, it was gone.

The black glove that swiped the precious material seemed to disappear as fast as it came. I barely had time to look at the shocked face of Drake before I heard a whisper. "Thanks, kid. Remember, Midway City, 4432 fifth street."

"_You're not getting away!" _It was Grail. I barely saw his determined face whisk past me as he slashed freely at the shadow that whispered to me. I jumped back instinctively.

_Whoooosh._

_CLANGGG._

The poleax audibly missed, hitting the hard ground. In that split second, I noticed fear glint in Grail's eyes. A spearman was most vulnerable when he missed.

_"Huk-"_

A dark red liquid seemed to splatter my line of vision. There was a long shiny knife protruding from Grail's back.

_Evan? _The dubbed voice of Judgment was still there._ Evan, it's nothing. Evan? Oh, don't be such a baby. Evan..._

But I wasn't listening. I had already fainted, visions of blood and gore glazing through my mind.

* * *

Author's Note: YES. FINISHED. GAWD. Someone needs to slap me upside the head, because the plot is finally going to start, which means MORE WAITING. Don't you love waiting? Well, now that the plot will begin to develop, I'm going to start telling more people about this fic so they can review it. If I asked you to read this fic, then review it right now. Criticism is greatly appreciated. Well, I'll be updating in another week or two.

-Zz


	5. Chapter 5: Preparations

Author's note: And now, the story begins! Yeah, it took a while, didn't it? Anyways, the longest fanfic I've pulled was nearly 40 chapters, and I might plan on breaking that record (if I wasn't already working on another 31-chapter fanfic on another website, if you guys know which one I'm talking about). If this fanfic reaches 40 chapters, which I highly doubt, I'll deem myself as a fanfic nerd and reward myself with a cookie. Cookies are tasty.

* * *

**Chapter 5- Preparations**

"...Evan..."

I ventured to look to my right, where Janie was sitting. We were both out on her porch, staring out into the evening sky. Janie had been crying for days. I didn't blame her. I had cried occasionally myself. I mean, it was almost as if I was the one that killed Grail. How would you feel if it was your fault for someone's death?

_It wasn't your fault. It was Grail's foolishness that got himself killed._

I ignored Judgment's snide comment, who had morphed back into a coin. He had been enjoying himself in the depths of my pockets since the day I passed out.

"...There's no point in staying in this village," Drake replied dryly. I didn't bother looking to the left of me. The Prince was right. Nothing mattered now. My future was gone. All of it.

_Are you sure?_

_What do you mean, am I sure? _I snapped back. _You wouldn't know anything about having a future! You're practically immortal, for God's sake!_

A pause.

_Evan. You have a lot to learn. I've been claimed by countless summoners in the past. I know how you feel, kid. The man is right. There's nothing left for you here. Let's go._

_Go where?_

_Where do you think? Midway City. That's where the bandits reside, right? If you really want to unite the world, why don't you go ahead and help them?_

_Well, they killed my friend. For no reason. _I retorted.

_Bandits are bandits. All organizations have their weaknesses. If you can't take a few unnecessary killings-_

"I _can't!_" My mouth spoke before my mind did. Janie and Drake both gave me a skeptical glance. "Uh, never mind," I mumbled. "So, what's going to happen now?"

Drake jerked a thumb at the 1st class Water adept. "Regardless of what happens, Janie, you'll permanently lose your rank as a Holy Guard, especially since the Earth Tower has no need to be guarded. You'll probably get fined, as well, but that'll be nothing compared to _your_ punishment." The steel plated glove of Drake was now under my nose. He began to speak with rising intensity.

"_You _broke the barrier of ice that Janie set up. _You _deliberately conceded the ring over to a group of notorious renegades. _YOU _violated the law of the Council. _YOU just contributed to a possible downfall of today's world. YOU-" _The red haired prince's finger pressed on to my chest. "ARE-"

_Press. _

"The _STUPIDEST-_"

_Press. _

"_CRAZIEST-"_

_ Press. _

_"4TH CLASSER-" _The steel hand opened up, turning his press into a shove. The wind was knocked out of me as I landed on the floor with a _thud. _I stared up at Drake's menacing figure. His fiery eyes seemed to fade, but his jaw was still tight.

"You." He pointed at me- "And you." He turned to face an already startled Janie. "You two should be departing from this place, _at once._ " He gave me a hard glance. "Especially you. The Council probably already knows about this incident and will track down everyone in Vale to figure out who did it." He glanced at Janie. "I'm pretty sure Evan's going to need some help, too."

The brown haired adept's face seemed to light up a little. "It makes sense," she reasoned, "I can't be a Holy Guard anymore, so I might as well go somewhere else to make use of my magic." Her tone darkened. "But I highly doubt we'll ever find a sanctuary..."

_I beg to differ, _was Judgment's inaudible reply.

Drake then silently nodded. "Either way, you better get going. If I see both of you again..." His voice trailed off as he jerked his head away, leaving the porch with a huff. I parted silently, ideas already racing through my mind, thinking about what I would do to prepare for the journey ahead.

* * *

"Miss, I'm going to look like a geek in this."

"Oh, don't worry. You'll be fine. My husband used to wear that in his travels around the world. I'll even pack extra pairs in here..."

I bumbled off to the mirror in my room, which was embedded in tough granite. As I gazed at my new complexion, I realized that it wasn't _too _bad. It was called the Dark Guard attire in some places. The suit included a shiny black sleeveless shirt, with pants and a belt that matched the jet black color of Judgment. Black fingerless leather gauntlets ran down my arm. A cloak was tied to my right shoulder, in case I would need it. A black shoulder pad was slung over my other shoulder, to protect my vulnerable left arm from any danger.

_Ooh, a suit that matches my appearance? _Judgment noted. _How nice. Back in the ancient days, no one ever wore black-_

"Here, Evan. Two extra suits, along with some snacks in case you get hungry." Mary handed me what looked like a black duffel bag. I speculated it for a bit before slinging it over my left shoulder. Great, extra weight was just what I needed.

Mary seemed to look at me with dreary eyes. She then wordlessly hugged me, muttering something about the other kids. Then she pulled away, giving me her last regards.

"Evan, I'm going to miss you. I know you did something wrong, and I hope you take this adventure as a lesson for you." She peered down, wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh God, he's turning up just like his father..." My eyes widened. Caretakers usually wouldn't talk about their children's parents. She hugged me one more time, and before I knew it, I was off.

* * *

"A new sheath?" Janie inquired.

"Yup."

"For what? Stuffing your perverted magazines in it?" Janie giggled.

_Heh, looks like it doesn't take a King to realize you have those things under your bed._

_Oh, come on. I left them at home. _I replied back

Janie and I were both at the town square, which was surrounded by many brick buildings and muddy streets. People were bustling everywhere, most of them seeming oblivious to the Earth tower incident._  
_

"Janie, if we're going to travel outside this city, shouldn't we be prepared?"

The water adept pretended to rub her chin like she was in deep thought. "Well, maybe you don't need a sheath because you don't have a sword to put in it?"

"Well, what if I told you that I did?"

Janie's eyes seemed to flash in approval. "Well, okay. What size?"

_Ceremonial Zweihänder. 16 pounds, 4 feet and 11 inches. Custom Two-handed cruciform. _I instantly relayed Judgment's message. Janie seemed just as surprised as I was.

After an uncomfortable pause, the water adept smiled. "Okay. Is that all you need?"

"Yup."

"Alright. We'll be leaving town immediately after we get the sheath. I don't want us to attract any attention." She began to state everything she planned. "We'll be stopping by Vault City for provisions. From there, the closest town is Lunpa. Lunpa is a rather big town, and I'm pretty sure we won't be searched for over there." Janie glanced at me. "Once we get to Lunpa, I'll leave everything to you."

"Huh?" I squawked. It took me a bit to regain my composure; I had completely forgot about the situation. I had just helped a renegade organization become one step closer to eliminating magic from the world. This journey's intentions would be my intentions.

So what was I going to do? Go to Midway City? Or go to the next tower, to retrieve another ring?

_Both seem ridiculous. There's no way in hell you can retrieve an elemental ring, and I'm pretty sure you don't want to join a group that had killed a fellow 4th classer, eh?_

"Well, let's see what we'll do once we reach Lunpa." I replied._ Pause. _"Will you help me if, say...I wanted to get rid of magic from this world?" I looked up with pleading eyes. Janie didn't seem too shocked, neither happy. Her eyes were mixed with hope and resentment. Confusion. That was the word.

"I..." She looked down at her hands. I had struck a sensitive spot. Janie's major talent was that she was a 1st classer. If she gave up the only thing she had left...

"I'll go." Her turquoise eyes lit up. I blushed. "I've known you for a while now, and whenever you get into full geek mode..." she reminisced, "...you would always talk about how magic was segregating the world. And you would always say that if magic were gone, the world wouldn't be having so many problems." She took a step closer, and I would've taken a step back if the town square wasn't so crowded. Her face was close to mine. I was as red as Drake's hair. "I think it's safe to say that we both have a common goal," Janie soothed, giving a hint of a smile. She then turned and began to walk in the opposite direction. "Come on, we need to buy your sheath and get the heck out of here."

* * *

_It's too small._

_Well, this is the biggest size they have._

_Gee, this is a pain. _Judgment began to morph again, his sword-like shape shrinking slightly. _That better?_

I slammed the sword into the black leather sheath none too gently. _Yup._

_You sure know how to make a King's world a living hell.  
_

"Wow. Evan, where'd you get that sword, anyways?" Janie was right beside me as we walked out of the leather forgery.

"Um, my caretaker gave it to me before I left," I lied, as I looped the sheath over my back.

"Well, I really like the trimmings."

_Did you hear that? She thinks my trimmings are hot. Yowza._

_Don't you think your head is a little hot, as well? _I challenged.

_Heh heh. Well, what can you expect from the steel king, eh? _was Judgment's rebuttal.

"Evan, are you okay?" Janie looked at me worriedly. Guess I looked pretty weird, with my teeth clenched as I silently argued with someone in my head. Regardless, we were almost outside of the city.

As we neared the stone gates, a twang of uncertainty filled me. The aura was recognizable. It was an aura of Earth Adepts. My pace quickened, along with Janie's, who seemed equally concerned.

_What, are you afraid of a couple of Earth Adepts? _Judgment quipped as we left the city premises. I glanced at Janie, who still had a tense look in her eyes-

_Bump._

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

I stepped back, startled to see a man with blond hair pop out of nowhere. Looking around, I noticed a mob of teenagers loitering just outside the city gates.

It was them. The gang composed of only earth adepts. The gang that has been causing the village a lot of trouble. All twenty four of them, including the leader. Twenty four leather brown leather jackets, twenty four pairs of muddy jeans. Twenty four corny looking goggles.

And twenty four hungry faces.

Janie continued walking forward, when the blond guy strafed in front of her, blocking the path. I gulped.

The gangsters and gangster-ettes began to rally, muttering and pointing at us. What seemed like their leader stepped up. He looked different from the rest, with red short cropped hair and a funny looking camouflage uniform on, complete with a pair of those annoying looking goggles.

"Well, who do we have here? The sexy 1st class chick of Vale University, and the scrawny 4th class nobody. Hell of a cute couple, eh?" He nudged a fellow gang member, who quickly nodded and forced a laugh. He then looked directly at Janie. "Oh, wait. I forgot," he sneered. "We should be thanking you. The university dismissed exam day early because they had to thaw the school out." Mr. Red hair now jammed a finger at me. "And _you _caused a heck of a lot of problems already, messing up the Earth tower!"

I glanced over at Janie, who was obviously fed up with the act. "Look," she explained briskly, "I don't have the time for your ridiculous food wars and mud wars. You've already muddied the streets for the nth time-"

"Busy? Where are you going? Running away with little Romeo over here?" The leader snickered.

_Well, I have to agree to that, _Judgment replied. _You're going on a quest with a girl your age. What kind of lucky guy gets that opportunity, eh?_

"I'll be back later," Janie fibbed. "Maybe then, we can duel this out. But I have to pick up some things from Vault-"

"Hey, not so fast, missy," Mr. Red hair interrupted. "See, us Earth Adepts are starving. I bet the Council will give us a lot of food if we capture the accomplices of the thieves that stole the Earth Ring." He was supported by twenty-three other nods and grins. "So. You can either-"

_Whoooosh._ Mr. Red hair gasped as he wordlessly flew back, toppling over fellow gang members, and landing in a jumble of arms and legs. The affiliates who didn't get knocked over cried out, scattering. Janie still had her arm thrust out, a blue aura gleaming from her white gloves. Her determined eyes were now tinted blue.

_Hey, she's not bad for a 1st class water adept, _Judgment commented.

Mr. Red hair immediately stood up, soaked from head to toe. "Ah, so is that a challenge I feel?" The gangster yelled. He assumed a battle stance, his fists seeming to turn into stone. "2nd classers have just as much power as 1st classers," he seethed, "and I'll make sure to prove it!" He glanced around at his fallen comrades, then turned to face Janie and I. My hand ventured over to the sheath tied across my back-

_Evan, step back. You'll only be a hindrance if you try to help. _I seemingly frowned at Judgment's reply. _Don't worry, _he assured. _I can teach you how to fight later._

_"Rooooahh!" _The red haired Earth adept was now in full motion, within an arm's reach of Janie in seconds. A near-invisible barrier flashed brightly as the stone fist came crashing down on the Water adept. The barrier began to crack, but Janie was already moving her hands around methodically, conjuring up a spell. With the aid of another stony punch, though, the barrier finally began to fade away.

_"Douse!" _Janie slapped her palms on the dirt ground as Mr. Red Hair's fist whizzed a mere inch from her face. The dirt from under Mr. Red Hair erupted.

_Splut. _Bits of clay flew on my arms, which were protecting my face from the mud. At least I learned my lesson from last time dirt was embedded on my face. I peeked at the sight- what looked like a geyser was now surging upward at full force. I saw the shadow of Mr. Red Hair in the midst of the torrent. It seemed to be doing a heavy toll on him-

Then, he jumped.

It looked like a laborious one, but he gained a good five feet of air, since the water was pushing him upward._ "Wrroooahhh!" _His stony hand was tensed up and aimed at Janie, who didn't have enough time to cancel the spell. The hand began to glow yellow as the area around the battle grew dark.

_"Truncheon Fist!"_

A barrier of ice rippled out just in time, as the juggernaut flew in a downward arc, hitting the ice with full force. A tremor broke out as a wave of yellow looking energy burst form the ground. The ice shattered, and the force of the punch jerked Janie back, her body dragging against the ground until she slammed her back into the stony city gates. She was unconscious in seconds.

_Man, that was one heck of a punch, _Judgment remarked. _Hey, Evan? Oh, great. Guess I was too late to warn you.  
_

I was already blindly charging the Earth adept. The last thing on my mind was letting Janie die.

_"Gahhh!"_ was all I could yell, adrenaline coursing in my blood as I gripped the gleaming black sword in my ice cold, shaky hands.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, I guess I finished this chapter sooner than I thought. I'll probably put this up on some of my friends' websites when I get the chance. I'll start advertising from this point on also, so I'm expecting more reviews to come flooding in. Still, All reviews are greatly appreciated. :D

-Zz


	6. Chapter 6: A Rough Start

Author's Note: The Super Bowl is today, but I'm too tired to go to any more parties. I'll probably just be watching the game and writing this chapter at the same time. Go Giants.

* * *

**Chapter 6- A Rough Start  
**

Have you ever had one of those memories where you wish you could just undo the whole situation?

Well, as I was haphazardly running towards a 2nd class adept that was nearly twice my size, I had this gut feeling this would be one of those memories.

Thanks to my annoying battle cry, the Earth Adept Leader was already poised in a defensive position, ready to counter whatever I attacked him with. But that didn't matter now. I gave one shout, swinging down Judgment with vigor.

My swing stopped halfway. The earth adepts hands clutched the black sword, with no signs of blood. I desperately started tugging.

"Eh, so the geek decides to join the party. How about we let him join his girlfriend, next to the wall?" He chuckled towards some of the gangsters that ventured to watch the battle. A few of them forced a laugh at his dry comment. He turned back to me, his red hair flashing in the sunlight. "Well, what do you say? Want to join her?" he spat.

Before I could reply, my stomach was met with a tough rubber boot as I was sent sprawling back. The pain was excruciating. I tumbled next to Janie, who was still unconscious.

_Evan! Evan, you can't die here... _ Judgment's replies were all in vain. I was too woozy to respond. The comforting hilt of Judgment was gone. I struggled up, squinting at Mr. Red Hair. The sword was in his hands.

"Hey, kid. Want your sword back?"

I could barely move, still crouching on the ground.

"Okay, then. _Catch!"_

The sword left his hands, whirling in the air towards me. Crap. What was I supposed to do now?

Just then, a white flash overcame the field, and for a split second, I thought I was dead. My thoughts were diminished as a small black coin _clunk_ed against my head.

_You owe me. _Judgment muttered as he slowly morphed back into a longsword. I quickly picked it up, using it was a cane to steady myself. My stomach felt like it had been hammered by a thousand-pound bulldozer. It hurt. It hurt like crazy.

_Okay, we need some kind of strategy. Janie is unconscious, so we need to end this battle fast. There's no way you can beat him head on. Even a 1st class water adept can't. So... _I felt Judgment grin inside my head. _You're going to have to summon me into the battle._

_What! I can't do that; I'm a 4th classer! _I mentally shouted. My eyes began to advert all around me and gangsters began to warily close in. I was surrounded.

_You don't need to have magic to summon something. Besides, I've never been summoned in centuries. It would be a good change if you could let me out..._

_Okay, but how do I summon you?_

_First, you have to-_

"It's not over yet!"

_Pow. Pow. Pow._

I flinched, staggering back and ducking instinctively as gunshots rang out and the cries of earth adepts filled the air. Realizing an unknown ally was helping me, I quickly grabbed Janie, trying to get her to move. She was heavier than I thought.

_Slap her silly. That'll wake her up. _Judgment directed, his voice unusually serious.

_But..._

_Come on. It looks like whoever is helping us is hidden. Once he's exposed, who knows what's going to happen._

Both our thoughts were confirmed as the earth began to shake violently. One by one, the earth adepts around me began to slam their fists into the ground. blocks from the ground jutted upwards, until we were surrounded by a wall of uplifted earth.

_Evan! Wake her up!_

I complied, closing my eyes and bringing my hand down to Janie's face with justice.

_Slap._

One second passed.

Only one second was needed.

_SLAP. _My head jerked to the right as a warm hand made contact with my cheek.

_Owch. _Judgment commented.

"Evan?" Janie was staring at me, obviously furious.

"Look, Janie- we don't have the time-"

"Get them!" I quickly stood up as Mr. Red Hair ordered his villains. Only about five gang members were in the confines of the earthen wall they created. Two of them gave a yell, charging at me with fists and daggers.

_Evan! Dodge to the right!_

I wordlessly obeyed, as the feint swipe of a dagger rebounded off my shoulder guard.

_Now swing!_

I let my right arm loose, hacking the sword into one of the gangster's unprotected body. The recklessness of my attack send me spinning forward, landing on top of the other one. Everything went black, and I was in a frenzy. The melee didn't last long, though, as the ground from under me shot up in the air, tossing me up a good ten feet. Pain jolted into my back as another block of earth shot up, sending me flying once again. I began to think I was a goner, when-

_Whoosh. _A pleasant surge of water rushed past me, silently carrying me out of harms way. My feet were back on the ground, drenched, next to Janie's. She gave a grim smile as she subsided the quick spell she conjured. I couldn't help but blush.

_"Grrrrrahhh!" _The ground shuddered again, as the pillars of earth began to slowly collapse. The remaining earth gangsters looked around, confused as the brown wall of dirt tumbled down. Mr. Red Hair turned, just in time to meet-

A swift blow to the head with the butt of a pistol.

The 2nd class adept crumpled to the ground, and it was silent.

The man that had bonked Mr. Red Hair on the head cocked his head back. "Ahhh. Victory." He replied heartily. When he turned to face us, the remaining couple of earth gangsters fled the scene. After the remainder of the hoodlums were out of sight, he began to walk towards Janie and I.

The man looked like he was in his late twenties, with long blond sideburns and gelled blond hair. His eyes looked like a hawk's eyes- it was almost evident that he was a wind adept. He had a Dark Guard uniform on, just like I did; except instead of a sleeveless black traveler's suit, it was more of a coat. Guns were strapped on his legs and on his jacket. What looked like a rifle was slung on his back. I couldn't imagine what he had inside his coat.

"Hey," the guy airily waved as he neared us, like nothing had happened. He gracefully stepped over a fallen gangster as he slipped the shotgun he was holding into one of many gun holders. He immediately diverted his attention to Janie. "Are you guys okay?"

_More like, is _she _okay, _I mumbled to Judgment, a small pang of jealously touching my heart.

"Oh, um, yes. We were just about to travel to Vault, but those damn Earth Adepts..." Janie mumbled.

_Damn Earth adepts, indeed, _Judgment replied sarcastically.

"Well, if you'd like, my bud Garrett and I could give you a lift over there."

"Really?" Janie's eyes lit up, seemingly forgetting that I saved her life, too. Go figure.

"Anything for you." There was a pause, as I darkly watched the two of them gaze at each other. "By the way, my name's Jake. Just plain Jake." He smiled, gently shaking the hand of an already bright pink Janie.

_Do something. _I immediately followed Judgment's advice, stepping in.

"Oh, uh. Thanks for the help! I'm Evan, and this is Janie." I tried a gentle smile, holding my hand out. Jake looked like I was intruding his authority.

Then, an awkward silence.

"Jake, come on! We don't have much time to get to Lunpa, you know!" I glanced over in the distance, spotting a man who looked like he was in his mid-thirties. That must be Garrett. The guy had an eye patch, which made him look like a pirate. He was pretty buff and tall. He had a Bounty Hunter outfit on, which was a rather colorful variation of a Dark or Holy Guard suit. Two scabbards were at his waist, and what looked like a large pike was in his hand. "Bring your guests over here!" He roared, waving over at Janie and I.

As the four of us congregated at Garrett's caravan, which consisted of what looked like two overgrown horses and a wagon, Jake began to describe who they were.

"We're just wanderers. Sometimes we're bounty hunters, sometimes mercenaries. Whatever we can do to make a living," Jake explained. "Garrett and I have been traveling for almost ten years now, getting into trouble and whatnot." He playfully tapped the stoic pirate with his fist. "So, why are you two traveling to Vault?"

"Oh, we're just getting supplies for the village," I mumbled.

The Blond's interest was piqued. "Two teenagers like you?"

"Uh," Janie now interrupted me, realizing that we shouldn't blow our cover on our intentions. "It's for our families. We're the oldest children in the household, and our..." her voice seemed to fade as Jake placed a gloved finger to her lips. I could barely hear him whisper "mind read" as Janie's pupils began to shrink.

"Hey, wait! You can't just-" I was about to yank Janie away from her trance when Jake held a Magnum Pistol to my head. My voice faltered, letting him digest all the information he was receiving.

_What's with this guy? _I seemingly thought to myself.

_He has more charm and ego than you, perhaps? _was Judgment's rhetorical reply.

Janie's eyes dilated back to normal after a few minutes. She took two steps back, ready to faint at a moment's notice. In seconds, she fell into Jake's arms. He grimly looked towards me, and carried Janie inside the caravan. Garrett gestured me to hop in, and I complied, whether I liked it or not.

_This is an awkward situation, _Judgment observed. _Gee, and I was hoping you would summon me, too..._

I ignored his last snippet. _Well, mercenaries or not, I hope I'm doing the right thing._

_Don't worry, Evan. You'll be fine. Just make sure to watch after Janie. We don't want that guy's hands all over her, now do we?_

_No. No, we don't._

* * *

_Clop clop clop clop clop._

I sighed, taking a glance out the back of the caravan. The sun had set a couple hours back. Janie was still inert, her head resting against the side of the canvas, her body wedged between two boxes of supplies.

The back of the wagon was filled with boxes, provisions, and little trinkets. What looked like a shaggy dog was lazily picking at some dry meat. I had tried to get it's attention. Tried.

_I'm tired._

_Who isn't? _The Steel God uttered.

_Well, things have been pretty abrupt over the past week. I got expelled from school, I meet a legendary adept, I control the King of Steel..._

_Hey, you don't necessarily control me, you know, _Judgment retorted.

_...but still. There's been too much going on lately. And now Janie and I are running away from The Council, with two scavengers we barely even know._

My thoughts were interrupted as Garrett called my name from the front. "Hey, Evan. You doing okay back there?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"And how's Janie?" Jake piped up. He was sitting in the front, too.

"She's good."

Silence.

"Well, Jake told me everything. It looks like you guys are in a pinch, with the law on your tail and all. Don't worry, though. You'll be safe with us." Garrett turned, giving me a reassuring smile.

I hesitated before going on. "So...how did you two meet?" I caught a hard glance between Jake and Garrett.

"You don't need to know for now," The tough pirate uneasily replied. "All you need to know is that we're both 3rd class adepts, and we're here to help you."

I nodded, yawning. "What element are you?" I inquired.

"Earth. I was the one that collapsed the earth walls that surrounded in in that battle."

"I see," I mumbled, remembering Janie's utter distaste for Earth adepts. I guess not all of them were bad.

"Well, we'll probably be on this trail all night, so make yourself comfortable," Garrett replied. "It's a three day trek to Vault."

"Okay. Thanks again. G'night..." I mumbled, slowly drifting off to sleep.

_Good night, Evan, _Judgment muttered.

_Yeah, good night. Watch over Janie for me. _And with that, I closed my eyes, reminiscing on when I had charged at Mr. Red Hair. It was a stupid feeling, but...

_If you didn't do it, who knows what would've happened._

_You're right, _I mumbled. _Well, I seriously need to sleep. Things could only get weirder tomorrow._

My mind began to fade in front of me as sleep overtook my body. The memory of charging at Mr. Red Hair would never leave me, though. After all, it was my first step into an adventure I would never forget.

* * *

Author's Note: Good, I'm finally stabilizing the story. As this story begins to develop, I'm probably going to go back and edit some of my chapters, because a lot of them aren't that steady. Either way, I'm glad I got to make this chapter, because it's at least slowing down the naturally fast-paced story this was meant to be. Expect much more chapters like this in the future.


	7. Chapter 7: Prisoners

Author's Note: After a couple weeks of experimenting with other fanfics, I've decided to give this one an update. This is also partially because this story still has absolutely no consistency.

* * *

**Chapter 7- Prisoners**

"Hey kid, wake up."

I grunted, my eyes struggling to open. A blurred Garrett was standing inside the caravan with me, his back turned. It looked like he was opening some of the boxes. I made an effort to get up, as the pirate-looking earth adept glanced in my direction.

"Kid. You okay?"

My face burned with embarrassment as I stood up, the back of my head nearly touching the far side of the wagon. Looking around, I noticed it was early morning, and we were on a dirt path surrounded by trees. Peering outside, I saw Jake stirring a small campfire while talking to Janie, who was smiling and nodding. I swiftly made a decision to see what they were up to, but my thoughts were interrupted by a somewhat grumpy voice.

_Evan. You don't want to barge in their conversation, do you?  
_

Ever since Judgment had joined me, I was accustomed to hearing his normally crabby nature in the morning. _Why not? I mean, it's only natural to join campfire discussion, right?_

_Wrong, _Judgment retorted. _You're not going to talk to them. You're going to escape. And that's an order._

The command caught me off guard. I instantly grew furious. _What!? But we need to get to Vault City! They're willing to help us! Come on, Garrett is a nice guy! They even saved us from those earth adepts!_

There was a momentary pause, followed by Judgment's irritated voice. _Evan._

_What?_

_Are you that retarded?_

_Huh?_

_You told me to watch over Janie. I was also eavesdropping. Luckily, the duo doesn't know that you possessed a talking sword._

_An annoying talk sword, at that._

Judgment ignored my comment. _They plan on taking you two to Vault, where they'll inform the Council about you two. Then, they'll take you to Lunpa, where the Council will be waiting to capture you. It was a very simple plan on their behalf-_

_What!? Why would they do something like that? They saved us!_

_Calm down, boy! _Judgment seemed to heat up, and I nearly felt my sword shake as he roared in my ear, _They're MERCENARIES! BOUNTY hunters! If their bounty dies, THEY GET NO CASH. If you put two and two together, then maybe you'll have the sense to realize that they captured YOU for MONEY._

I stood there, appalled. Garrett seemed to notice my displeasure, and called down from the caravan. "You okay?"

Nodding my head, I made my way around the wagon so that no one would see me. I averted my thoughts back to the Steel King.

_Sorry for acting stupid. Oh, and thanks. Thanks for everything._

The Ruler of Steel seemed to snort. _Don't thank me now; you've got to find a way to escape. You also need to get Janie off that Jake guy, quick._

I hesitated. _Should I tell Janie?_

_No, you'd rather not. She'll bug out. I've thought about it overnight. Just let them take you to Vault City and get your supplies. From there, you're going to have to make a friend._

_A friend?_

_Yes. While you're staying in Vault, look for someone that can fight back. Look for someone smart, someone that knows the city well enough so that Janie and you can escape._

_Why don't we just run away now?_

_Hell, those bounty hunters aren't about to fork over their most precious bounty. I highly doubt either of them will get an ounce of sleep until they're in Lunpa. That's why you need a friend that can fight, or at least hold them off while you flee._

As I tried to digest all the information, I made a mental note that I would have to act as normal as possible until we reached Vault. A sudden thought occurred to me. _Wait. Where are we going to flee? We can't go to Lunpa._

_Okay, then. Make sure your friend is trustworthy, and travel with him or her. Most people in Vault City know their way around. Just hope your friend will know the closest, safest city._

Nodding, my attention drew back into reality. I made my way over to the _crackle _and _pop _of the fire, feeling the morning sun on my face. It was definitely going to be an awkward trip, knowing that your new traveling companions were about to betray you.

I reached the campfire, and sat on the rough dirt beside Garrett, who was humbly cooking what looked like huge eggs. Janie looked up, smiling. "Good morning," she murmured. I made an effort to smile, then turned to face Jake. He was toying with one of his handguns, acting as innocent as a baby toying with a shiny pebble.

Garrett gestured at a small plate behind him. I picked it up, handing the plates over so that he could distribute the meager breakfast. Then, Jake broke the silence. "So, you guys are both from Vale?" The question seemed to be directed at me. Janie had probably already told him.

"Yeah. We were both seniors in the university."

"_Were_?"

I felt a little pressure. Didn't he already know all this? "Yes, but I got expelled on the day of the graduation exams. Then, both of us got exiled from the village."

"I see."

More silence.

_Stop acting all strange, Evan. Say something, or else they'll get suspicious._

Judgment's chiding spurred me into action. I turned to Garrett, who was now placing two eggs on each plate. "Garrett, sir?" I asked somewhat urgently. "Can you teach me how to fight?"

The one-eyed hulk glanced back at me, a hint of surprise in his eyes, followed by a grin. Suddenly, he glanced at Jake, who didn't look too pleased. Garrett turned to me as his smile faded. "Uh, well, I don't think I can."

_Evan, you do realize that I can just teach you later, right?_

I decided to play with the idea, ignoring Judgment. "What do you mean? You have a sword, don't you?" I could almost feel Jake's menacing eyes piercing into my skin.

"Well," Garrett mumbled haphazardly, "Just because I can fight with a sword doesn't mean I can pass on my skills to someone else."

"Then can you teach me the basics?"

Jake cut me off. "Garrett isn't going to teach you," he flared. "You should be thankful that we're at least escorting you."

_Did you hear that, Evan? He's escorting you. Escorting you to prison, for that matter. Remind me to thank him later._

I stifled my laughter long enough to mumble, "Thanks, Jake. I don't know where we would be without you two."

_You two would be in a much better place than this. After all, I could've taken care of those gangsters if you would've summoned me._

"You're welcome," Jake replied almost breezily.

_What an asshole._

I grinned, feeling Jake's penetrating glare on me, as I took a bite into the red yoke of an egg.

It was delicious.

* * *

We were finally in the wagon again by the time the sun was nearly overhead. Our capturers were at the reigns, discussing something inaudible. Janie plopped down across from me as the wagon began to move. We both glanced at each other.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Mm. I'm fine," was her reply. Strange, I thought. I subconsciously assumed that we would just be traveling together, not with anyone else. I wasn't that sociable in a group of people, and realization hit me that I was beginning to alienate from Janie.

"Oh, ok. That's good." My eyes began to wander. "Haha, look at the mess we're in now. Sorry for dragging you into this."

"Evan, don't feel sorry for me." The tone of her voice was rough.

_Ouch. Rejected. _Judgment chuckled.

My face felt hot. "Oh, ok. Sorry-" I quickly shut my mouth, catching the "what-did-I-just-say?" look from Janie.

_Evan, how are you ever going to get a girl like that?_

_I don't know, _I answered honestly. My eyes instinctively began another quick scan of the wagon, just to look anywhere but Janie.

That's when they struck.

_Pohk! _

_"Stand and deliver!"_

The wagon seemed to shudder, as my side of the wagon began to tilt downward. I heard one too many _shing_s come from outside. Judgment's voice was racing through my mind.

_Evan! Go to Janie's side! Quick!_

I made a lame attempt to run up the inclined slope separating me and a still confused looking water adept.

_Ah, you and your weak 4th class body. Hurry, aim me at that box to the left of Janie- then press the upper button on my pommel._

I complied without question, yanking Judgment from his sheath and pointing him towards the box. For a split second I panicked, realizing the buttons were side by side on the pommel, not up and down.

_Gah, just hit the left one!_

I pressed it, expecting the worst. Instead, the sword did something remarkable. It literally shot from it's hilt, burying it's blade in the box with a _thunk_. A chain was attached from the blade to the hilt. Sweet. A grappling sword.

_Now hurry! Press the button again!_

My thumb jammed down hard on the contraption. My body was jerked forward. "Gahh!" was all I could scream as the hilt made it's way back to the blade. With a swift _clank _and _snap_, the sword was back in one piece.

"Evan?" I glanced at Janie, to my right. Oh, I forgot. I haven't told her that I have a legendary sword that has been passed down from generation to generation. I figured I would have to tell her later.

_Rrrrrrrrrrrip._

Both of us looked down, where the canvas of the wagon was cut open by a blade. Two men in black masks and cloaks rushed inside the misshapen wagon, their slim swords at the ready. One tried to run up the deep slope of the wagon floor, and was met with a-

_POW._

The highwayman who tried to climb up crumpled to the ground, a hole in his forehead. Janie and I were too shocked to look, but we both knew Jake had entered from the front as he roared, "_Damn Highwaymen!"_

_POW._

The other highwayman made a guttural noise as he fell to his knees, blood gushing out of a hole in his neck.

_POW. POW._

The victim made two jerking movements, then fell back, sliding out of the wagon. Immediately, I heard Jake rush out the back again, calling for Garrett. Janie, staring at the blood on the wagon, put her hands to her mouth and gasped. Without thinking, I clutched Janie's arm and yanked her down to the ground, behind the box that I grappled on to.

_Shing. Clang._

Janie gave me a startled look, like she had been the one who been shot. I tried to shake her back into reality.

"Janie, put a barrier up!" I whispered urgently. "Janie!" I pleaded. She wasn't listening. I felt a pang of anger. Was she crazy? I didn't want a highwayman to rush in and kill both of us.

I heard the cry of a man, then a _shlump. _Janie looked oblivious, still staring at the highwayman who was still in the wagon. Her eyes showed signs of horror.

_Pow, pow. _Then, a gurgling noise. After the noise subsided, there was heavy breathing.

I almost jumped as I heard the easy-going laughter from Jake. It was over.

Minutes passed by, and before I knew it, all four of us were outside. Garrett was wiping blood from a long heavy sword. Janie was still stunned. I was still pissed.

"Janie, why didn't you put up the barrier?"

The 1st class adept remained silent.

"Janie." I struggled to hold my temper. "Are you okay-" my sentence was cut off as the 1st classer turned and exploded on me, her eyes turning bright blue.

_"Didn't I tell you so stop feeling sorry for me?" _Her eruptive attitude caught me off guard. She noticed this and continued her onslaught, tears falling down her cheeks. _"He died! He died, Evan! You're worried about me, and you don't care about someone who DIED?"_

I tried to be reasonable. "Janie, they were trying to kill us-"

"There was _blood!_" The water adept collapsed to the ground on her knees, still sobbing.

_No shit, there was blood... _Judgment echoed sardonically.

I looked at Janie, who was still on the ground. My anger began to rise again. What the hell? They were about to kill her! And she was whining about _blood?_

I let my thoughts spill out. "What the heck has happened to you!? I thought you were the braver of us two!" I let the words sink in before continuing. "Why did you come with me, then? You knew there would be blood, didn't you?"

_Evan, don't push it._

Judgment's words subdued me, but didn't stop me. I gave Janie a bewildered look, slowly shaking my head. "Why...? Why did you have to follow me? Why didn't you just leave me?"

In seconds, Jake was crouched by her side. His revolver fell from his hand with a _clunk _as he hurried to put his arm around the miserable water adept. I stood there, glancing at an impassive Garrett, then back at Janie.

"It's okay...no, don't worry...I know..." Janie reduced to sniffing.

_Whatever the hell that guy's saying, it's working like a charm, _Judgment noted. _Are you going to do anything?_

I gave a mental humph. _Why should I? She's the one acting retarded._

_Are you sure about that? The last time I was up to date on trends, boyfriends weren't supposed to yell at their girlfriends.  
_

I couldn't think of anything to say, even though I knew Janie and I weren't _that _close. Garrett was already dragging the dead bodies off to the side of the road. Trying to look nonchalant, I walked over to the wagon and began to pick up fallen boxes, but not before taking one last peek at Janie. Jake was still comforting her, but the brown haired girl was looking straight at me.

And she looked hurt.

_Crap, _I mumbled to Judgment. _What did I get myself into?_

* * *

Author's Note: Yay. I finally updated. Go, me. It's too bad I have to use horizontal breaks now, though, since fanfic just made an interface update. Eh, whatever. Expect more chapters in the future.


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